Chapter 12: New Dish

"Boss, the egg fried rice is delicious, but it would be great if there were more choices," said the last customer of the day during lunchtime.

This was Zhao Ruo, a girl who had already visited the shop once yesterday and came again for lunch today.

Qi Han smiled slightly in response to her gaze. "We should have some new dishes added tonight."

"Really?" Zhao Ruo's eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation.

"Yes," Qi Han nodded and watched the customer leave.

Closing time.

Qi Han's words were not empty. In the training space that morning, he was just one step away from creating a perfect-grade Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken.

And he was confident that he could achieve that breakthrough this afternoon.

With a thought, Qi Han entered the system space.

He glanced at the fresh ingredients already prepared on the training space's table and swiftly moved his hands.

Rubbing and cleaning the pork stomach, marinating, blanching.

Killing the chicken, plucking its feathers, and cutting it into pieces.

Every action was done smoothly, already well-practiced from countless failures.

...

"Hoo..." Qi Han let out a breath, as if expelling all the restlessness from his heart. Then, he lifted the clay pot and placed it on the table.

He opened it.

A faint yet tantalizing aroma wafted out from the milky white soup, making Qi Han greedily inhale a breath.

'It's time to eat!'

The system didn't notify any mistakes, indicating that this pot of Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken was Qi Han's target: a perfect-grade Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken.

Qi Han took a light sip with a spoon, and the rich essence of the thick soup permeated his senses, intoxicating him. It tasted exactly the same as the Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken he had tasted earlier, cooked by the system's virtual image.

After enjoying his own craftsmanship, Qi Han suddenly remembered something.

"System, how much is the Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken priced at?"

[The Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken is priced at 12 Gold Coins per serving.]

"12 Gold Coins," Qi Han stared at the empty clay pot on the table, feeling that the price was incredibly reasonable.

He wondered who couldn't even gather a single Gold Coin in their entire fortune.

Well, it certainly wasn't Qi Han.

Without rushing to exit the system space, as Qi Han successfully cooked the perfect-grade Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken, the colorful surroundings once again returned to the blackness.

"System, do I still have a 1 Star Optional Recipe Fragment?"

[Yes.]

"I'd like to redeem it now."

[Alright, this is a complete 1 Star recipe book. Host possesses one fragment of a 1 Star Optional Recipe Fragment. You can redeem any 1 Star recipe. Please make your selection.]

This was the first time Qi Han had seen a complete 1 Star recipe. It was as thick as a dictionary, and yet it was only a 1 Star recipe, leaving him in awe.

He casually flipped through the pages and quickly realized that the 1 Star recipes mainly consisted of vegetables, pastries, snacks, and everyday dishes.

If he were to choose one by one, it would probably take an extremely long time to finish reading the entire book.

So let's just order something.

The shop currently had Egg Fried Rice and Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken.

Egg Fried Rice could be considered a staple, and Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken was a soup dish and also a meat dish.

So how about a vegetable dish?

With an idea in mind, Qi Han didn't hesitate and directly spoke up, "System, let's have 'Blanched Water Spinach'."

I, Qi Han, enjoy taking on challenges.

The system seemed surprised by Qi Han's choice and took a while to respond.

['Blanched Water Spinach' is a 3 Star recipe and not within the selectable range.]

"What's the matter? Isn't water spinach a vegetable?" Qi Han pouted and gave up on his wishful thinking.

He knew very well that this dish couldn't be considered a vegetable, but he wanted to give it a try.

In case the system didn't know its worth and actually placed it in the 1 Star recipes, wouldn't that be a profitable venture?

[Please refrain from insulting the professionalism of this system!]

"Fine, then give me 'Smashed Cucumber'," Qi Han pouted and made his final choice.

In his previous life, Qi Han really enjoyed eating Smashed Cucumber. The dish was simple to make, refreshing and spicy, suitable for all ages.

Emphasis on the simplicity of the recipe.

If everything went smoothly, there might be a chance to cook the perfect-grade Smashed Cucumber before the shop opened in the evening. And then, he could introduce two new dishes at once. Wouldn't that be amazing?

[Host uses one fragment of a 1 Star Optional Recipe Fragment. Redeeming the 1 Star recipe 'Smashed Cucumber.' Are you sure?]

"I'm sure."

As the words fell, the surroundings transformed back into the kitchen setting, and the virtual image reappeared, holding a peculiar-looking, elongated green plant.

"Wait a minute." Qi Han couldn't remain calm anymore and abruptly interrupted the image's action. "System, what is this thing? I may not be well-read, but don't deceive me, is this a cucumber?"

[This is a hybrid cultivated by the system using Earth cucumbers and plants from the Douluo Continent. It has a more tender and juicy texture than regular cucumbers, with a refreshing and sweet taste, making it the perfect ingredient for Smashed Cucumber.]

"Alright." Qi Han raised an eyebrow and continued observing the virtual image's actions.

He saw the image swiftly diagonally slice the cucumber into small equal segments, ruthlessly smash them with the flat side of the knife, and then handle the scallions and garlic. After adjusting the seasoning proportions, the image quickly mixed and garnished the ingredients before presenting the dish with cilantro as a garnish.

Hmm... it really is simple.

Compared to the Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken and Egg Fried Rice he made earlier, the process of making Smashed Cucumber was indeed straightforward and forceful.

Since it was a cold dish, Smashed Cucumber didn't have a strong aroma. However, when Qi Han got closer, he was captivated by the unique sour and spicy flavor, and tears involuntarily welled up in the corners of his mouth.

It was undeniably appetizing. He hadn't even tasted it yet, but he was already hungry.

'Let's eat!'

Qi Han picked up his chopsticks from the side and picked up a piece of cucumber. As he put it into his mouth, the intense sour and spicy flavor exploded on his taste buds.

The sourness was genuinely sour, and the spiciness was genuinely spicy, yet the two flavors merged perfectly without overpowering each other. Eating it not only caused no discomfort but also stimulated saliva secretion in his mouth.

The system was right; this specially cultivated cucumber was even more delicious than the native cucumbers on Earth. It was crisp, sweet, and refreshing, with a unique fragrance that didn't belong to regular cucumbers.

It seemed that this new flavor emerged from the crossbreeding process.

This subtle new flavor not only didn't affect Qi Han's enjoyment but also elevated the taste of the entire dish.

Wow.

The system is amazing.

After finishing a serving of Smashed Cucumber, Qi Han wiped his mouth and felt like his stomach was already hungry.

Thus, in the small kitchen, another person who loved cooking was born.

[Error occurred. Insufficient force in smashing the cucumber. Please restart, Host.]

[Error occurred. Incorrect ingredient proportions. Please restart, Host.]

[Error occurred. Insufficient finesse in plating. Please restart, Host.]

...

When Qi Han emerged from the system space, he looked at the menu on the wall and couldn't help but smirk.

Small serving of Egg Fried Rice - 5 Gold Coins per serving

Large serving of Egg Fried Rice - 10 Gold Coins per serving

Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken (Soup) - 12 Gold Coins per serving

Smashed Cucumber - 2 Gold Coins per serving

It was time to open for business.

To see more of this story, please go visit my Tanslation Site - Galaxy Translation:

https://galaxytranslations97.com/